I have always said that the most important ‘resource’ in any early years setting is you, the practitioner. A skilled, loving, playful and knowledgeable professional will create relationships and learning opportunities with whatever happens to be to hand, even a simple open space. The children at the hands and heart of that person will thrive.
Additional resources certainly help, though, and we must think carefully about what those resources are. That is especially important when we think about technology resources in relation to costs, sustainability, benefits and safety.
Before we spend any money, we need to ask ourselves, ‘What does this resource add to our provision?’
The benefits to introducing technological resources into your provision include adding novelty, expanding learning, embracing the modern world and providing children with skills and knowledge of the world they are a part of – fast-paced, ever-changing and full of possibilities.
Technology is not going anywhere, in fact, it is growing, changing and shaping the world in ways we couldn’t have imagined; therefore, we need to ensure the children we work with start to learn the skills to access it and the knowledge of how to use it safely and for the benefits it can bring.
Most of us don’t need reminding that the cost-of-living crisis is real, the cost of everything is going up, and we know that the funding for the sector is simply not keeping up with those rises; it feels like we are being squeezed in every direction.
Therefore, the sector needs to be savvy and find ways of developing our provision in cost-effective ways. Luckily, it has been doing that forever. We have always been a part of the ‘circular economy’*, and while not getting adequate, let alone good, funding levels, it means we know how to make the money stretch and we spend what we have wisely.
WHERE TO FIND TECHNOLOGY RESOURCES
The first and obvious choice when it comes to technology resources is to use what you already have. Many settings I know have resources that require batteries or charging, and if we don’t replace the batteries straight away, or lose the charger, those things end up hidden away on high shelves or in cupboards.
Go and take a look, some of those resources can be back in the hands of children really quickly. Some might need more attention or simply no longer work. There is play value in those items too.
Years ago I found a large lightbox in a setting I was working in. It was hidden at the back of the cupboard, forgotten about by the team because the bulb had blown months before. I asked if I could replace the bulb to see if it still worked.
It did, and the children had lots of fun using it to create silhouette stories, testing the transparency of things in nature and exploring colour mixing – there was so much we could do.
I suggest you start by carrying out a simple audit of the technology toys and resources you already have and then consider the ones you would like to add to your provision. I have included an example of how you might lay this out (see box).
If you find gaps in your technology resources, then you need to find a way of sourcing them.
My first suggestion is to look for what you can get for free or very low cost.
Sites such as Freecycle and Trash Nothing allow people to give away items for free, usually as long as the new owner collects it. You can set searches for areas you can access easily. Social media hand-me-on groups are another way of acquiring free items locally.
You could put out requests to families and staff for things they no longer use that could be donated to the setting.
You could also make links with other settings locally and arrange a swap of resources. For example, if you have a robot and they have some metal detectors, agree to swap for a few weeks and then swap back.
If you have some budget, then you could head to the marketplaces on social media or places like Vinted and eBay to search for bargains. Charity shops are also a great place to find resources.
Another way of adding to children’s awareness of technology is to engage with the technology outside in the real world. If you take children out to the shops, they can help with the self-service tills, or in the library, they can take out the books. Something as simple as pressing the button on the road crossing sparks conversation and learning around technology.
SAFETY FIRST
Anything new coming into the setting needs to be risk-assessed, of course, but with technology, especially something not new out of the box, you need to be especially certain the item is safe. Common sense will be required to assess some of the items, along with a careful inspection to check for things like very small parts, sharp edges, parts already broken. Things might need cleaning thoroughly too, and if the item is electrical, ask an appropriately qualified person to complete a ‘PAT’.
Circular economy – a model of resource use that involves reusing, repurposing, sharing, reducing, recycling, swapping, buying used and second hand before we consider buying new.
CASE STUDY: Little Acorns Childminding in Banbury, Oxfordshire
Vikkie, the childminder at Little Acorns in Oxfordshire, is a savvy shopper when it comes to new technology resources. She is always on the look-out for a bargain, and charity shops are a favourite, in part because she can go with the children who can help her look for new toys such as hand whisks, kitchen scales and hand tools for the garden.
She is also an advocate for involving the families by asking them about resources they may be able to donate, such as old remote controls and torches, even if they no longer work. Adding these to her resource box provides children with a chance to play and explore these objects and to think about how they work.
A chance to tinker, take apart and maybe put it back together again provides lots of learning for the adult and child together and will generate lots of rich language too. Vikkie’s top tip for costlier items that you need to buy new is simple: ‘Make a plan and budget for it’ over a few months.
If you want to set up a tinker table or area as well as the old, broken items, consider providing children with suitable sized screwdrivers and boxes to collect the smaller parts in. You could add microscopes so they can examine the items, maybe even a lamp, gloves and goggles to recreate a ‘repair workshop’.
REFLECTIVE PROMPTS
- Do you make the most of the existing technology toys in your setting? What else could you do?
- In what ways can you extend your range of technology toys? What will you do?
- Introducing more technology does not need to cost lots of money, but it does take time, care and thought to ensure it is acquired only for the added benefits it can bring in to the setting and the children.
FURTHER READING
